UK Stamp Duty Calculator 2025/26.

For a residential property in England or Northern Ireland in 2025/26, the standard rates are 0% on the first £125,000, 2% on £125,001 to £250,000, 5% on £250,001 to £925,000, 10% on £925,001 to £1.5 million, and 12% above £1.5 million. First-time buyers get relief: 0% on the first £300,000 and 5% on £300,001 to £500,000, with no relief on purchases above £500,000. Additional property buyers (buy-to-let, second home, limited company purchases) pay an extra 5 percentage points on every band. Non-UK resident buyers pay an additional 2 percentage points. Use the calculator above for your specific property price and buyer status.

Two changes took effect on 1 April 2025. First, the standard residential nil-rate band fell from £250,000 back to £125,000, restoring the pre-pandemic threshold. Second, first-time buyer relief was reduced: the relief threshold dropped from £425,000 to £300,000 and the cap above which no relief is available dropped from £625,000 to £500,000. The 5% additional property surcharge (which had increased from 3% to 5% on 31 October 2024) remains in force for buy-to-let and second home purchases. The 2% non-UK resident surcharge remains in force.

Yes. Limited company purchases of residential property always attract the 5% additional property surcharge regardless of whether the company already owns other properties. So a £400,000 BTL bought through a fresh limited company SPV pays SDLT on the full standard residential bands plus 5% on every band, totalling around £27,500 of SDLT. Many landlords still find limited company structure worthwhile despite the surcharge because Section 24 mortgage interest restriction does not apply to companies and corporation tax can be more efficient than personal income tax for higher-rate taxpayers. We model the full position in the £1,200 Tax Planning Workshop.

You pay the 5% additional property surcharge on a residential purchase if at the end of the day of purchase you (or your spouse or civil partner if treated as one purchaser) own two or more residential properties anywhere in the world. The surcharge applies to buy-to-let purchases, second homes, holiday homes and most company purchases of residential property. It does not apply if you are replacing your main residence and have sold the previous main residence within the last 36 months. If you complete on a new main residence before selling the old one, you pay the surcharge upfront and can claim a refund within 36 months when the old one is sold.

Yes. Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) only applies to England and Northern Ireland. Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) with similar but different bands. Wales uses Land Transaction Tax (LTT). The bands, thresholds and surcharges differ between the three regimes. This calculator covers England and Northern Ireland (SDLT). For Scottish or Welsh purchases, contact us for a tailored calculation. The general principle of additional property surcharges applies in all three regions but the rates and thresholds vary.

Yes, in two situations. First, if you bought a new main residence before selling your old main residence and paid the 5% surcharge upfront, you can claim a refund within 36 months of the new completion provided you sell the old main residence within those 36 months. Second, if you bought a property that was uninhabitable on completion and HMRC accepts it does not qualify as residential, you can apply for a refund and reclassification as non-residential (which has different rates with no surcharge). Both refund routes have specific conditions and we handle them as part of property tax engagements.

SDLT is calculated on the purchase consideration, which is the price paid for the property plus the value of anything else you give in exchange. For most purchases this is just the cash price. If you assume a mortgage as part of the purchase or take on liabilities of the seller, those values are added to the consideration. For purchases involving exchange of property, both sides pay SDLT on the value they receive. Linked transactions between the same parties are aggregated for SDLT purposes.